Radiation protection level 5b

The course radiation protection proficiency level 5B is a short introductory course in radiation protection preparing for safe handling of open radioactive sources and estimating related risks. Handling of sealed sources or X-ray equipment is not fully covered by this course, in this situation we advise proficiency level 5A.

Target audience
This course is set up for (guest) employees (higher education or academic level) of those laboratories of the University of Leiden (UL) and of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), where radio nuclides (tracers) are handled. Participants from outside the UL/LUMC also are welcome to enrol.
For those who (will) bear responsibility as supervisor/radiation safety officer for several laboratory workers, it is advised to take a more extensive radiation protec-tion course (such as proficiency level 4B or “Coordinating Expert”).

Course set-up
The course contents is set by the course committee of Boerhaave CME and complies with the legal conditions as stated in the ‘Besluit Stralingsbescherming Kernenergiewet’ (Nuclear Energy Act).
The framework of the course is (for practical reasons the actual time schedule may be altered):

• One day theory, lectures and interaction (Wednesday);
• One day practical work (Wednesday one week after theory, if many participants enrol, also on Tuesday);
• One session training exercises (optional, on Monday before the exam);
• Examination (Wednesday following the practical work).

During the course period, the possibility of individual support by appointment exists, as well as the option to communicate questions by e-mail, see contact in-formation.
To study the course book and making the questions you should account for an estimated two days of self study at least (depending on your prior knowledge).

Course Contents
The following subjects will be dealt with during the course (subject to change):

1. Introduction into radiation protection/radiation physics.
2. Atomic structure and decay.
3. Radioactive sources.
4. Interaction of radiation with matter, shielding.
5. Detection of radiation.
6. Quantities and units in radiation protection.
7. Biological effects of radiation.
8. Legislation, system of dose limitation.
9. Safety precautions for working with (sealed) sources and equipment.
10. Practical dose calculations, safety precautions for open sources.
11. Radioactive waste.
12. Exercises.

Course material
At the latest two weeks prior to the first course day (after you have enrolled in due time) you will receive:

• Practical Radiation Protection. J. van den Eijnde and M. Schouwen-burg; Syntax Media, Utrecht, Third Edition, 2013; ISBN 978 94 91764 01 1;
• Practical lab manual;
• Results of the open questions in the course book.

If your language choice during the enrolling procedure is Dutch, you will receive above mentioned course materials in Dutch. Your examination language is also determined by your language choice.

On the first course day you will receive:

• roster practical work.

At the practicum you will receive:

• report sheets to be used at the practical work.

The powerpoint presentations of the lectures on the first day can be viewed on www.boerhaavenascholing.nl.
The required reading for the exam consists of the above mentioned course materials.

Practical work
The practical work comprises one day for each participant. The practical work will be organised in the Research Building (Onderzoeksgebouw) of the LUMC. You work together with one or two other participants, which will be scheduled in a roster. You will perform several radiation experiments on which you will make a report on the report sheets. Participation and filling in the reports and answering the questions is obligatory in order to get a sufficient judgement.
Under normal circumstances during the practical work the effective dose will not exceed 10 microsievert. You will receive an electronic personal dose meter (EPD) which allows you to read your radiation dose. If you normally use a NRG-dose meter (badge) at your work, you could wear this at the practical work, however, only after consultation and with permission of your employer and/or your local radiation safety officer. In principle pregnancy is not a contra-indication to partici-pate; you are requested however to inform the course staff (we will keep this in-formation private). If you feel the need to consult the course staff prior to the practical work, please contact us.
When you give in your filled in report sheets in due time, it will be corrected and given back at the exam. If not, you can make an appointment to receive your re-port within a month. After that month, the report will be destroyed.

Exam training
Under supervision of a teacher and with mutual help of the participants you are invited to make the excercises (Appendix C in course book) and to discuss problems arising. Participation is not obligatory (the answers are provided). 
If you register for 'Exam only', we invite you to participate in the exam training as well. 

Exam
The exam comprises two parts:

• Multiple choice questions; no liter-ature will be allowed (closed book exam);
• Essay questions; course material of choice is allowed to be consulted (open book exam).

At the exam you will be asked for valid identification, such as a passport or a driving license.
You are allowed to use a ruler or geometrical triangle.
Each of the two parts of the exam will be judged with a mark; the mean of the two marks will determine the final mark. On calculating the multiple choice result, a correction factor for at random filling in will be applied.
In order to qualify for a diploma, a rounded final mark of at least 5.5 is condition-al. If you do not pass the exam, you will have to resit the complete exam.
The possibility to resit the exam exists at the next or later courses (if the particular course takes place). To resit the exam you will have to enrol six weeks before the examination date (see www.boerhaavenascholing.nl for dates and conditions).
The results of the practical lab exam will remain valid for three years; thereafter, you will have to follow the entire course again in order to be allowed to sit the exam. Would you like to look into your exam work afterwards, you are invited to contact the course staff (within 30 days after announcement of the examination results). You will be informed on the results by a letter four weeks after the examination date; the diploma will be enclosed.

Diploma
The course is officially recognised by the “Tijdelijke regeling erkenning opleidin-gen deskundigen radioactieve stoffen en toestellen 2013”, see: https://zoek.officielebekendmakingen.nl/stcrt-2013-34306.html
All course participants who took part in the practical lab and sat the exam, both with sufficient results, will be awarded a diploma “Stralingsdeskundigheid niveau 5B” (Radiation Protection level 5B).

Options
Preferred language:

• English course materials and exam
• Dutch course materials and exam / cursusmateriaal en examen in het Nederlands

	25 October 2017, day 1 (Theory)
08:45	Welcome / coffee
09:00	Making acquaintance
09:10	Introduction Radiation Protection (H7)
	S. van Dullemen
09:40	Radiation Physics (H1): exercise
	S. van Dullemen
10:15	Pause
10:30	Shielding and dose quantities (H3, H5)
	S. van Dullemen
11:30	Radiation sources/ detection (H2, H4)
	S. van Dullemen
12:15	Lunch break (included)
13:15	Health risks of radiation exposure (H6)
	G.J.M.J. van den Aardweg
14:00	Safety precautions for sealed sources (H8)
	C. Vreeken
14:30	Dosimetry in practice (H9)
	C. Vreeken
14:45	Pause
15:00	Maximum allowed activity in radionuclide labs (H10.8)
	C. Vreeken
15:30	Safety precautions for open sources and radioactive waste (H10, H11)
	R.G.M.  Huinen
16:30	End of programme
	8 November 2017, day 2 (practical work)
09:30	Practical work: morning session
12:30	Lunch break (included)
13:30	Practical work: afternoon session
16:30	End of programme
	20 November 2017, day 3 (exam training)
10:00	Interactive training of exercises
	C. Vreeken
12:30	End of programme
	22 November 2017, day 4 (exam)
10:00	Part one: multiple choice questions
11:00	Part two: essay questions (with calculations)
12:00	End of exam

LUMC

Hippocratespad 21, 2333 ZD Leiden

Course and exam	€ 695
LUMC/UL employee, course and exam	€ 430
Only exam (22 November 2017)	€ 75

If you register for 'Exam only', we invite you to participate in the exam training as well.